4.4.48 DONE

Never say never, but I will never; I don't think I ever need to do that again!

It was EPIC!  Here are my running thoughts.....  

 

- easier than I thought physically

- more mental than physical 

- sleep is overrated

- have a group to do it with, even virtually, we had 7, and the texts were motivating, funny and kept us all going.

- strength training helps!   Between our Gladiator BINGO and Squatober the extra strength was key to feeling solid all the way.  My quads were never blown, just fatigued.

- rest a few days going into it, not off but dial it back a bit

- try and bank sleep, especially the previous night.

- you will have to do laundry

- use multiple shoes; I cycled through 3 pairs

- mix up your surfaces, I did 3 on trails, and those felt so good.

- stay in the moment, don't ask, "how many more runs do I have?" 

- plan your calories, hydration, and then have random things on hand that may sound good when you just don't want to eat.

- take 5 min to foam roll, hypervolt, stretch after each run

- mindful hydration. Post EVERY run, I drank 24oz with 2x NUUN tablets.  

- after the 9:30pm and 1:30am- drank 150 cal Vega protein shake- 30g protein and amino acids

- buy or borrow Normatec's - they definitely helped!

- Epsom salt bath, I took 2, and that was helpful

- don't ever sit more than 30 min or you will regret it

- carb-up / calorie up the week of, as you do for an Ironman

- laugh a lot

- have a good headlamp and reflective gear, its DAF at 1:30, and we had a full moon

- lube your feet.  NO blisters.  I used Aquaphor before every run,

- pace yourself; if you feel restless or like, this is too easy, crush the last 4,8 or 12 miles.   We went hard mile 40-44 and then enjoyed the last 4. 

- We started at 5:30pm on a Friday, so we finished Sunday afternoon. I definitely recommend a start time around this time, finishing midday is great, you can celebrate, go out to eat and enjoy the experience.  Versus starting at 4:30AM and finishing at midnight, you will not sleep right away, and it's anti-climatic to finish so late.

- Plan to do laundry or have 12 outfits + 12 pairs of socks + hats/hairbands - nothing dries out in 3 +hours.  

- know your body, especially your gut.  My running belly is sensitive; you will see by my food log, nothing too crazy, and I had 0 GI issues and no blow outs, which is a slight miracle for me.

Here is how it went down

 

I mostly went for flat runs; I live in all hills and thus drove to many runs.  The night runs, I ran from home.   Pacing, this is around my Ironman run pace, so all-day comfortable pace, I let the fatigue come on its own. 

Time	#	Pace/Mile	Elevation	Post Run	Calorie	Total Miles
5:30 PM	1	9:13:00 AM this felt stiff getting toing	95	24oz w/2x NUUN + 2 cups GF pasta with EVO + daiya cheese	500	4
9:30 PM	2	9:13:00 AM cool out and legs are feeling better	151	24oz w/2x NUUN + 1 cup pasta, 2 pieces black licorice + 1 T nut butter	500	8
1:30 AM	3	9:08:00 AM hill run, legs are feeling good and really enjoyed this	335	12 oz w/2x NUUN + 12 oz with Vega Sport protein powder	135	12
5:30 AM	4	9:04:00 AM Full moon, super foggy but legs relaxed and easy	89	24oz w/2x NUUN + 2 pieces WF Pizza dough cooked as rolls + avocado + Coffee	600	16
9:30 AM	5	9:33:00 AM hit the trails and this was a nice change, slower pace but worth the soft surface	131 trails	24oz w/2x NUUN + 1 small WF pizza dough roll + coffee	125	20
12:30 PM	6	9:07:00 AM super boring run	233	Candy Corn + York Peppermint Patties + red bull	400	24
5:30 PM	7	10:03:00 AM back to the trails, careful footiing	165 trails	24oz w/2x NUUN + 2 pieces WF Pizza dough cooked as rolls with Myokos butter	450	28
9:30	8	9:16 dodging people in costume in downtown Encinitas. Lookinga the crowds and lines at the bars, What COVID?"	112	12 oz w/2x NUUN + 12 oz with Vega Sport protein powder	135	32
1:30 AM	9	9:22:00 AM scary car that slowed and freaked me out, holy shitballs, totally freaked when he passed me stopped. It was either an UBER or a bootie call as someone came out to the car	351	12 oz w/2x NUUN + 12 oz with Vega Sport protein powder	150	36
4:30AM (daylight savings)	10	9:46 legs are stiff from sleeping. While the 2.5 hours sleep was great, this was hard to get rolling	167	24oz w/2x NUUN +bagel with almond butter + candy corn + pumpkin pancake + coffee	600	40
8:30 AM	11	8:27 - lets see how fast we can go. Why not? HR was in 170's but pace was slow....but we did what we could	131	24oz w/2x NUUN + 1/2 XO Chocolate Bar + coffee x 4 + red bull	350	44
12:30 PM	12	10:20 finished with a group and enjoyed the final run- 100% social and fun!	141	ALL the food I could find!!!		48

I slept 10 hours Sunday night and woke up stiff and tired. I swam and walked the dogs and felt too much better!  Starving all day, much like post-Ironman.   

Monday night, another 9 hours, and then went for a short run this AM. I am feeling pretty good.  Spin on the bike, and I feel even better.